Andrew Bowman President, Land Trust Alliance. Laura Johnson Chair, Land Trust Alliance

Transcription

1 2016 annual report

2 From the Chair From the President When she became executive vice president of the Land Trust Alliance, Wendy Jackson told me something that caught my attention. She said that because the Alliance enables the effectiveness of land trusts, at every land conservation deal the Alliance is there in spirit. Wendy knows because she spent 15 years leading a land trust and says she could not have done it without the Alliance. What the Alliance does best is illustrated in the stories in this annual report. We support strong leaders and land trusts through education and training; we lobby for policies that benefit all land trusts; we inspire land trusts to engage deeply with their communities; and we defend protected land for all time. And this past year, with feedback from land trusts, we revised Land Trust Standards and Practices, the guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust. Imagine trying to do your land trust work without the Alliance. Fortunately, you don t have to. We ll continue to be a partner for every land trust to protect the places we need and love. In my first year with the Land Trust Alliance, I got to know many people in the land conservation community. It was a privilege to meet them in the places that they love and work so hard to protect. In this time of change, the Alliance forges on with confidence. I firmly believe that land is the answer to so many things that ail us as a society. I believe that land, land conservation and land trusts can play a pivotal role in helping to bridge our political divide and build a consensus around the need for a healthy, vibrant environment. The more that people interact with each other one-on-one and focus on furthering a common, agreed-upon purpose, the more they discover each other s humanity and find a way forward together. And what better activity to bring people together than land conservation through the work of land trusts? For 35 years we ve been helping land trusts save land. Your involvement in our programs and generosity as supporters make this possible. Thank you for your partnership. Laura Johnson Chair, Land Trust Alliance Andrew Bowman President, Land Trust Alliance

3 Land Trust Alliance Annual Report Stronger Together SHAPING STRONG LEADERS AND LAND TRUSTS The accredited Kestrel Land Trust in Massachusetts received a $500,000 anonymous gift to help buy a new office. But after experiencing the Land Trust Alliance s excellence and leadership programs, Executive Director Kristin DeBoer talked with the donor and her board about using half of the funds to enhance our connections to and impact in the community. After almost a decade of counting success only by acres and dollars, I was so inspired by the training that I came back wanting to expand our land trust s vision. We get to participate in deep and profound ways with the community. It makes our work even more fulfilling. Suzanne Tugman BRINGING WELLNESS TO THE COMMUNITY Inspired to action by the Land Trust Alliance s national Community Conservation Program, Suzanne Tugman of the accredited Kaniksu Land Trust in Idaho researched challenges her community faced and found surprisingly high levels of obesity and a host of other illnesses, including diabetes. In response, Tugman created a ParkRx program called Walk 7B. After revising its strategic plan, Kestrel used the funds to create a new three-year staff position and applied for and received two large grants for community conservation projects that go beyond business as usual. The first was a $250,000 grant to help purchase and protect a farm to provide fresh produce for those in need, in partnership with the local food bank. The second grant of $357,000 established a community forest in partnership with the local university and local environmental education center to teach students of all ages how selective sustainable forestry can promote climate resiliency. Walk 7B connects local health care providers, who write outdoor walking prescriptions for people, who then use local trails to fulfill the recommendations. The program has taken off in a big way. Mary Ann Love, a Walk 7B participant, says, I want to stop the scale from creeping up. It isn t easy for me, but it is important. She has lost more than 45 pounds since last summer. Joyce Wilson, a nurse practitioner who specializes in the care of patients with diabetes, says the results are very encouraging. Almost all achieved weight loss less pain and less depression. And these folks are now using the local parks and trails in this area regularly and introducing their friends and family to these amazing places right outside our back door. The excellence and leadership trainings have made a tremendous difference for me and for Kestrel Land Trust, helping us find our way to make land conservation more meaningful to the communities we serve. Kristin DeBoer

4 Rally 2016 attendees heard Umar Muhammed tell of how his work with Lookout Mountain Conservancy (accredited) transformed his life for the better. The Gallatin Valley in Montana FINDING POLICY SOLUTIONS The Toohey family has been farming in Montana s Gallatin Valley since 1876, when the great-grandfather of the current owners emigrated from Ireland. After four generations of farming the land, the family decided to protect the property to keep it in agricultural production for future generations. The accredited Gallatin Valley Land Trust worked with the Tooheys to use the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program of the Farm Bill to protect the farm. During the process, the land trust s attorney noticed a technical problem and turned to the Land Trust Alliance for its expertise. The Alliance met with the IRS and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which manages the Farm Bill, to seek a remedy, both for this easement and others like it. ENSURING QUALITY Happy 10th anniversary to the land trust accreditation program, says Deborah White, executive director of Woods and Waters Land Trust in Kentucky. We re delighted to join hundreds of other land trusts around the country that have achieved accreditation. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, awards accreditation to land trusts that demonstrate they meet rigorous quality standards land trusts such as Woods and Waters that save special places. One such special place is just a short drive from Frankfort. Two of our landowners had a vision to protect their property for many years, says board President Chris Schimmoeller. It has a beautiful hill called Astronomy Heights that s great for stargazing and an area set aside for kids to search for fairies. It s a wonderful place for environmental education or a nice walk in the woods. The Toohey easement marks our 100th, says Executive Director Penelope Pierce. With the Alliance s help, it all worked out. And with the Alliance s policy work on getting the next Farm Bill reauthorized, we expect to be able to keep saving family farms and ranches in the Gallatin Valley.

5 TRAINING LAND TRUST BOARDS, STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS Training and education form the thread that weaves through all of the work of the Land Trust Alliance. In 2016, the Alliance trained 5,400 people, reflecting our commitment to strengthen the land trust community. The Alliance provides access to information that helps land trusts save land in a technically and ethically sound manner. Methods of learning include, for example, webinars, publications, an online clearinghouse of information, regional conferences and Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference. Richard Cowan, board chair of Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association in Vermont, attended Rally As the new board chair, I felt it important to learn about current best practices and expand my connections with other land trust board and staff, he says. Rally achieved both objectives and much more. I will change the way we do board orientation, taking folks out onto our land rather than just talking at them. The Alliance webinars are terrific, and we re working to enable as many volunteers as possible to benefit from this knowledge. Sharon Feeley, volunteer, accredited Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust, CT The need to hold ourselves to high standards will never go away. The success of conservation relies on the constant support of the public and public institutions. Larry Kueter, former chair of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission The newly accredited Woods and Waters Land Trust protects forests and streams in the lower Kentucky River watershed. DEFENDING THE LAND The Land Conservancy of McHenry County in Illinois settled a suit in 2016 that involved its first agricultural conservation easement. The stormwater runoff system was failing, and we were trying to work with the owner through his nephew, who had power of attorney, to get it repaired, says Executive Director Lisa Haderlein. When the nephew put the land up for auction without resolving the violation, the conservancy contacted Terrafirma, an Alliance-created insurance program for land trusts. Terrafirma was very helpful, not just because our legal expenses were capped at $5,000, but because its representatives provided great advice, says Haderlein. After all, they have seen these types of cases before and were able to provide insight that made things go better than they might have otherwise. Lisa Haderlein

6 THANK YOU For the past 35 years, the Land Trust Alliance s work has been made possible by you, our supporters, members and those who have made planned gifts to ensure the future of land conservation. We can all be proud: All that we ve accomplished from the $40 million we raised through the generosity of individuals, foundations, corporations and organizations for our campaign to the 56 million acres conserved by land trusts would not have been achieved without you. Together, we conserve the places we love.

7 The Land Trust Alliance and Land Trusts: What We Do Together In 2016 the Land Trust Alliance released the National Land Trust Census, which provides a snapshot of land conservation in the United States through Here are a few of the key findings. F F F F F INCREASE the rate of land conservation 56 million total acres conserved by state, local and national land trusts as of the end of million increase of total acres conserved by state, local and national land trusts since 2010 IMPROVE the rigor of land trusts More than 5,000 land trust leaders strengthened by trainings, coaching and other resources in accredited land trusts As of February % of conserved land now held by accredited land trusts ENSURE the resilience of land conservation $588 million dedicated funding for stewardship and legal defense 510 member-owner land trusts of Terrafirma EMPOWER land trusts to make conservation relevant to their communities 72% land owned by land trusts that allows public access 4.6 million members and financial supporters of land trusts

8 Our Mission To save the places people love by strengthening land conservation across America. NATIONAL OFFICE EXECUTIVE STAFF PHOTO CREDITS ON THE COVER 1250 H Street NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC (202) PROGRAM OFFICES Midwest Portage, Michigan (269) midwest@lta.org Northeast Saratoga Springs, New York (518) northeast@lta.org Southeast Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (919) southeast@lta.org West Missoula, Montana Andrew Bowman, President, abowman@lta.org Wendy Jackson, Executive Vice President, wjackson@lta.org Marilyn Ayres, Chief Operating / Financial Officer, mayres@lta.org Clara Nyman, Vice President of Development, cnyman@lta.org Elizabeth Ward, Vice President of Communications, eward@lta.org ANNUAL REPORT CREDITS Project Director: Elizabeth Ward Project Managers: Christina Soto, Sarah McGraw Design: Goris Communications, Inc. Printer: MOSAIC The Land Trust Alliance s 2016 Annual Report is printed on Cougar, an FSC-certified paper. Cover, Laura Johnson, Andrew Bowman, background flower (taken on accredited Sacramento Valley Conservancy protected land), Umar Muhammed, Lisa Haderlein, Thank-you page (family taken at accredited Placer Land Trust s Taylor Ranch Preserve): DJ Glisson, II/Firefly Imageworks Walking people: Courtesy of Kaniksu Land Trust (accredited) Peeking boy: Kristin DeBoer, Kestrel Land Trust (accredited) Gallatin Valley: Courtesy of Gallatin Valley Land Trust (accredited) Big tree: Courtesy of Woods and Waters Land Trust (accredited) Cheering otter: Penny Palmer, from accredited Elkhorn Slough Foundation s photo contest Nicole Braddock, executive director of the accredited Solano Land Trust in California, took her son, Bryson, to enjoy the sunrise at the King- Swett Ranch Preserve, owned and protected by the land trust. give.org Meets all 20 BBB Charity Standards FPO 4-star rating (406) west@lta.org